Sage secures GB Olympic place

PUBLISHED: 13:31 25 February 2008 | UPDATED: 22:28 26 October 2009

A FORMER Welwyn Hatfield Sports Awards winner has secured Britain a place at this summer s Olympics. Herts diver Hayley Sage, who started her career with the Hatfield-based Beaumont Academy, shone out in China on Sunday. City of Sheffield star Sage, 21, a

A FORMER Welwyn Hatfield Sports Awards winner has secured Britain a place at this summer's Olympics.

Herts diver Hayley Sage, who started her career with the Hatfield-based Beaumont Academy, shone out in China on Sunday.

City of Sheffield star Sage, 21, and partner Tandi Gerrard, from the City of Leeds club, stepped up to the challenge in Beijing at the FINA World Cup.

They qualified GB for a place in the women's 3m synchro later this year courtesy of a best-ever performance.

The women required a top eight finish from a final field of 12 at the Water Cube and a highest ever score off their two required dives got them off to a confident start.

Commonweath Games bronze medallist Sage and Gerrard performed their optional dives strongly without missing anything to finish the competition in sixth place with a score of 308.79.

The British pair will now face a dive off in June to determine who will actually compete for the country in Beijing in this August's Olympics.

Ben Swain, another former Beaumont diver, and synchro partner Nick Robinson-Baker will face a similar test in their 3m event, although they are head and shoulders above the rest of the domestic competition.

WGC-born Sage was the inaugural winner of the Welwyn Hatfield Junior Sports Person of the Year in 2004 and claimed the senior Sports Person of the Year trophy the following year.